Back in the day there were set rules about pairing wine with food. For example, you never served red wine with white meat and you never served white wine with anything that used to have hooves. But those mantras harked back to a time when there simply wasn’t the smorgasbord of sensational wine now available to us on our shop shelves or at the click of a mouse. Our palates have also diversified massively in recent decades, haven’t they? You can pick up a great Pad Thai or Saag Paneer pretty much everywhere these days and our kids are even ordering sushi and pizza for school lunches!
So when it comes to choosing which wine to pair with which foods, ‘flexibility’ is the word. There are some combos that win and others that lose. For example:
*There is nothing more triumphant than a flute of quality Champagne or local Methode Traditionelle with fresh, plump oysters. It doesn’t matter if they’re freshly shucked and served au naturel, served in crispy tempura batter or underneath a smoky, Kilpatrick topping; oysters and fizz is always the shizz.
*Avoid those big red wines if you’re about to launch into a really hot, spicy dish. The high alcohol and chewy, dry tannins in the wine, combined with the heat from chili, will (I promise you), cause a car crash in your mouth.
*Pair hot, spicy dishes with wine carrying natural, fruit sweetness, especially if those dishes contain garlic, coriander, ginger, chili and lime. I’m a huge fan of gewürztraminer, pinot gris, gruner veltliner and riesling, as they complement and encourage those flavours. Plus those wines sooth the tastebuds rather than inflame them.
*Pinot Noir is an incredibly versatile, softer-styled red that works beautifully with lamb, duck and rare tuna. What? A red wine that goes with red meat, game meat AND fish? Try it the next time you roast a lamb leg or serve tuna carpaccio. It’s wizardry at work.
*Always have good chardonnay on hand for when you’re serving up roast chicken. There’s something about tender, juicy chicken which can’t help but be brilliant with chardonnay. I don’t know how it works, it just does.
*Looking for the absolute best match with roast pork and salty, crunchy crackling, or your classic glazed ham at Christmas? It’s viognier. Pronounced (vee-yon-yay), it’s a luscious, full-bodied white wine that oozes spicy apricot, jasmine and citrus oil characters, and pairs incredibly well with salty swine of any kind.
*Sauvignon Blanc is always brilliant seafood and tomato-based white meat dishes.
*Cabernet Sauvignon is brilliant with tomato-based red meat dishes.
*Late Harvest styles or sweet, musky Asti-style sparklings are brilliant with fruity, citrus-based sweet treats, but try richer, toffee-like, Botrytis or ‘Noble’ style wines with heavier, creamy or chocolate-based desserts. Plus they’re brilliant with blue cheese and oatcakes.
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Dopff & Irion Alsace Edelzwicker $18 (3 stars)
The name ‘edelzwicker’ comes from the word ‘Zwicker’ which means ‘blend’ and ‘Edel’ which means ‘noble’. So essentially it’s a blend of noble varieties from Alsace, and that’s sylvaner, pinot blanc, riesling, muscat d’alsace, pinot gris, gewürztraminer, auxerrois and the Swiss grape chasselas. It’s a pretty crazy spectrum of flavours such as preserved lemon, rockmelon, and guava plus there’s a slightly sour, oxidative note, pollen, white pepper and a creamy, cashew character on the finish.
Château Trébiac Graves Rouge 2011 $27.20 (3.5 stars)
‘Graves’ translates to ‘gravelly land’ in French, and here’s a blend of 30% cabernet sauvignon and 70% merlot from this important subregion of Bordeaux, located on the left bank of the Garonne river. It’s a medium-weight, savoury, soy and dark olive edged red with hints of prune, cocoa and smoke running through the middle. The tannins are grainy and drying and it’s wooly and warming to finish.
Saint Clair Pioneer Block 17 Plateau Gimblett Gravels Cabernet Merlot 2015 $37.90 (4.5 stars)
I love the lift of pepper, plum, cocoa and buckets of fruit cake spices this wine possesses. It’s beautifully balanced with smooth, cuddly undertones and elegant, finely-grained tannins. Fleshy, succulent and seriously good. Clearly the team at Saint Clair in Marlborough are now experts in dealing with smoulderingly good fruit from Hawke’s Bay’s Gimblett Gravels region and that spells good news for red wine fans.
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This week is a bit of yin and yang, with the big, bold rumpty red and a clean, lipsmackingly limey white…
Saint Clair Pioneer Block 17 Plateau Gimblett Gravels Merlot 2014 $32.90 (5 stars)
Incredibly bright on the nose, bursting with ripe boysenberry, plum cherry and sweetly spiced, smoky notes. Here’s a deeply flavoured, rich and satisfyingly fruity, with layers of leather and cocoa carrying through to the finish. I love the refreshing, vibrant acidity and its gripping, yet supple tannins. It’s a very precise yet plush and generous wine made by the talented twosome of Hamish Clark and Matt Thomson.
www.saintclair.co.nz
Dopff & Irion Cuvée René Dopff Alsace Riesling 2014 $22 (4.5 stars)
Here’s a definite new favourite for me, because I adore this style of riesling that’s packed with pure lime and green apple on the nose, crushed shells and wet stones. It’s a dry style, yet has some gloriously crunchy, natural sweetness allowing a round, citrus-focused mid-palate and a generously cleansing finish. Love it!
www.wineseeker.co.nz
